I realize as I type this post that it is going to be wildly controversial – I’m okay with that – these conversations need to be had and I have a different perspective than most because of how I was raised and the path my career has taken. My “day job” is being a Supervisor of Food Services for a public school district, my life revolves around a cattle ranch and beef cattle production. That means I have the distinct pleasure of not only producing but also feeding that food to the masses.
Food Insecurity is the lack of access to enough food for all household members.
That is where the problem arises – how do we ensure that our product makes it into the mouths of the people and how do we have that conversation without cutting off our noses to spite our faces? Food insecurity is a problem within our communities and has gotten worse through the closure of businesses, CoVid supply chain issues and rising cost of living. The USDA defines food insecurity as, “the lack of access, at times, to enough food for all household members.” So what does that mean in schools and to our industry?
“Beef Daily” blogger, Amanda Radke, just wrote an amazing post here involving this subject where she talks about being an impassioned parent, beef advocate and calls for agriculturists to take a stand, I applaud her but I want to dissect the issue a little further. Her article highlights recent changes to New York City’s policy of Meatless Mondays and Vegan Fridays in their schools, both of those titles scare the meat producers for obvious reasons but in reality it should scare everyone!
Meatless Mondays and Vegan Fridays not only scare meat producers but should scare everyone!
Families that are on any type of assistance, utilize the foodbanks or any other local agencies to help them with their food needs get offered specific items that they can use to feed their families. Many items that are sourced include fresh vegetables, meat based proteins, dry stable goods, eggs and dairy products. Within our school districts we source a lot of our products from what is known as “brown box” or the products purchased and distributed through the USDA. Many of the ingredients we source from the USDA are the same items available to the families on assistance. Our district prides itself on producing as many scratch made or speed scratch made items as possible on our menus and the meat based proteins from the USDA are a huge part of that program. Ground beef, shredded pork and whole pork legs, cut up whole chicken and ground turkey are in at least 70% of our weekly menus.
This is where the implementation of the “plant based days” convolute the message to our children. If children hear at school that they should only eat or completely eliminate something from their diet it translates to their interactions at home. What if a meat based protein meal is the only offering at home and they’ve been told at school that meal is unhealthy? Potentially this political push and pull could have a trickle down effect of furthering the hunger problem children face.
What if the only meal that can be provided at home is a meat based protein option but they’ve been told at school not to eat that because it is unhealthy?
Solution? STOP ELIMINATING THINGS COMPLETELY! Within our district we offer plant forward options but they are a choice that can be made by the students. Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza with Caramelized Onions? Hell yes, I raise beef and I would still eat that! We should be teaching our children that moderation is key, fresh or non-processed is usually better, healthy proteins and fats are still essential and WHERE THEIR FOOD COMES FROM. Instead of taking their options away, help them make their own decision. If the child that is only guaranteed to get regular meals at school won’t eat the meal provided you still aren’t helping the problem.
We need to stop thinking for everyone else and start giving people back the tools to think for themselves. I’ll eat my medium rare steak, you can eat your tofu stir fry, I won’t try to change your views and I might even ask to try your meal but show me the same respect. Allow children to experiment and try new things, for crying out loud encourage them! Let them become confident and excited about food and what they can do with what they have. The motto around here is that full bellies help open minds – that’s the narrative that needs to be shouted loudest.
We need to stop thinking for everyone else and start giving people the knowledge and tools to think for themselves.
So stepping back off the soap box – I hope this has shed a little more light on why forcing dietary agendas in schools is dangerous. I hope I have shared another talking point to add to your file for when this agenda comes to your community. Do you have any other thoughts to share? We need all the help we can get holding our ground and protecting our children from this mess.
Pacific Coast Cattle 